Bookworm
by simpleelauren
Summary: It was an unspoken rule everyone knew. Stay with your clique and there won't be a problem. Gabriella tutors Troy and sparks fly but will the sparks go out once people find out about them? Loosely base on Nathan & Haley from One Tree Hill.
1. Prologue

**Prologue  
**

The bells at East High had rung about an hour ago, signaling the end of a long Monday. Gabriella Montez, studying for her upcoming science final, was the only one left at school or so she thought.

After she was satisfied with what she had accomplished in the library, she left for her locker. Slowly she walked down the halls thinking how much better life would have been if she hadn't said anything about being the freaky math girl at her last school. She finally disclosed the fact and thought about how great her friends were.

Gabriella had befriended Taylor McKessie on the first day of school. Ever since she had told Taylor she was on the scholastic decathlon team, she had not stopped badgering Vanessa about joining. Even though people knew her as the freaky math girl, she still did not want to join the team for fear that she would be even lower on the food chain.

Gabriella was about to reach her locker when she looked up. She saw the one person she would least expect to be waiting for her at her locker on earth. Troy Bolton, the most self absorbent, cockiest, stupidest basketball player was leaning against the row of lockers with his arms crossed grinning at Gabriella. Even though guys like Troy would never give girls like her the time of day, Gabriella had to admit that Troy was extremely good looking.

"Hey there Gabby," Troy said cooly as he stepped aside for Gabriella to get to her locker.

"My name's Gabriella, and what do you need?" Gabriella said as she spun the dial of her locker.

"Gabby! I'm hurt that you would think I only come to you when I need something!" Troy exclaimed.

Gabriella stopped turning her dial and looked at Troy with her eyebrows raised.

"Okay, okay, here's the deal. I'm failing math and I really need help. If I don't get at least a C on my midterm, then I'm off the team," Troy said.

"Well I don't understand why you can't go and ask someone else to tutor you," Gabriella said as she opened her locker and started pulling needed books out.

"Because I need the best, and word on the street is that you are the best,"

"I don't know Troy. If you really want me to tutor you, you have to be serious. No being late, no goofing around, none of that stuff." Gabriella told him as she finally gathered all her books.

"Yes Ma'am!"

Gabriella paused for a second considering the pros and cons.

"Meet me at 7 o'clock at the public library and bring your tests so we can review them. See you then," she said as she left without even glancing at Troy.

"Thanks Gabby! I won't let you down, I promise!" Troy yelled as Gabriella just waved at him as she walked out the doors of East High.

Gabriella just thought of what she got herself into.

"Oh crap,"


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews and sorry that the spacing is really weird. My computer is really messed up and it won't let me fix it. Keeping Reading and Reviewing! **

**CHAPTER 1  
**

"So... you wanna hang out tonight and grab some ice cream or something?" Taylor asked as they worked their way towards Calculus.

"Uh... I don't know. I'm feeling kinda sick and my mom needs me to..." Vanessa said the first thing that came to her mind, "...clean the

carpet tonight!" Wow, real smooth Vanessa thought to herself shaking her head.

"Okay..." Taylor said with a weird expression on her face. She didn't even want to be involved.

Right then, Gabriella saw Troy walking her way. As they passed each other, they exchanged awkward glances, not sure of what to do

and carried on with their own lives.

Rule number one of East High was never to be associated with a clique other than your own. Anyone who threatened to break the rule

was immediately brainwashed by their clique. East High came close a couple of times to their whole social plan breaking apart because

someone stepped out of their shell occasionally but everything was always close to perfect there.

Gabriella arrived at her quaint little house around five. She had been arriving that late from school almost everyday lately because she

was always studying for her finals.

Gabriella went straight for the fridge and poured herself a glass of lemonade. The weather in New Mexico had been getting feverishly

hotter, day by day. She wiped the sweat off her face and ran upstairs to take a shower. As soon as she got out, Gabriella pondered for 30

minutes on what to wear. She kept asking herself why it mattered what Troy thought of her or how she looked, but she still couldn't get over

the fact that she had to look nice. Fifteen minutes later, she settled on one of her favorite outfits. She spent the rest of her time putting on her

makeup and wondering how to do her hair. Finally when it was 6:45, she was satisfied with how she looked. She grabbed her book bag and

ran downstairs.

"Bye Mom! I'll be home before ten tonight," Gabriella shouted as she closed the front door to her house.

Gabriella started walking towards the public library as thoughts ran through her mind again. She started smiling to herself and felt

excited to tutor Troy. How would she start off? Should she start with talking about how his day went? Or should she just get straight to it?

What would he think of her tutoring? Would he bored? Gabriella started to get nervous but calmed herself down and told herself it was only

Troy Bolton. Only Troy Bolton, the most gorgeous guy on earth. The library was only half a mile from wear Gabriella lived so it didn't take

long for her to get there.

Gabriella arrived at the library and sat down at a table where if Troy walked in, she would be visible. Gabriella glanced down at her

watch and read 6:58. Two minutes early she thought. She decided to open up her book she was reading. After reading through chapter 15,

she glanced at her watch again 7:03. Just a couple of minutes, Gabriella thought. I'll wait a bit more.

Gabriella then read to chapter 20 and glanced at her watch. 7:20! What if Troy got into an accident? Maybe he had to stay a little

longer for basketball since he was the coaches son. She decided to wait for Troy a little longer.

She started reading again. She read and she read until the book ended. As she checked her watch again, it was 8:07. Although Gabriella

knew she should have left, there was something inside of her screaming to stay. Something told her that Troy would eventually come, so she

waited, and waited, and waited.

"Excuse me miss, but the library will be closing in 15 minutes," the librarian said to Gabriella.

Gabriella checked her watch for the last time and the watch read 8:45. She felt tears and disappointment stir inside of her. Why had she

believed Troy would keep his promises? Gabriella walked back home with her head dropped and tears dripping for her eyes. She reached her

home and opened the door.

"So how was tutoring Gabby," her mother asked her. Her mother was on the couch curled up with kettle corn watching Oprah.

"It was okay, nothing special," Gabriella said trying to hide her face as she walked up to her bedroom.

Gabriella dropped her book bag and crashed on top of her bed as she softly cried into her pillow.


End file.
